Giants Like Kotchman And Mathis

Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News writes that the Giants recently inquired with the Angels about first baseman Casey Kotchman and catcher Jeff Mathis. Baggarly speculates that the Halos might like the idea of a reunion with Bengie Molina (owed $12MM over the next two seasons).

Of course, the value of the two Angels players far exceeds that of Molina. No deal is close; Angels GM Tony Reagins was frank about that. The Giants don’t have much in the way of valuable trade chips. They’ve got overpriced, undesirable veterans plus a strong core of young pitching that they need to keep.

The Angels theoretically could part with Kotchman if they think Kendry Morales is ready (or if they wanted to shift Garret Anderson or Juan Rivera over to first, though neither has played there). Mathis could be traded now; a separate deal with the Giants could make sense.